While the tourists crowd Tsukiji's Inner Market, dodging forklifts and generally getting in the way, local Tokyo gourmets do their shopping at the consumer-friendly Outer Market.

Originally set up to serve restaurants, the Outer Market is now also open to the general public. Here hundreds of crowded stalls sell fresh seafood, vegetables, tea, dried seaweed products, professional kitchen knives and servingware. There are also numerous sushi and other restaurants scattered through the district, where you can enjoy very fresh fish without waiting on a long line.

Many shops are open from 5am to around noon; some stay open later, but the best time to visit is in the morning.